Samsung Galaxy Y Android phone

Samsung Galaxy Y: Software, performance and battery life

The Galaxy Y is powered by the 2.3 "Gingerbread" version of Google's Android operating system and Samsung has included its TouchWIZ UI over the top. The latter does add a few nifty features: toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, silent mode and auto screen rotation are easily accessible through the notifications window, while there's also a handy memo app and Samsung's Music Hub service. The latter is a subscription based music service that costs $9.99 per month, $54.99 for six months or $99.99 for 12 months in Australia.

The Galaxy Y also comes pre-loaded with the Navigon GPS application. This provides full turn-by-turn navigation using the Galaxy Y's built-in GPS receiver. The tiny screen does make for a slightly frustrating experience, but the Galaxy Y's speaker is loud enough to provide clear and audible voice guidance when using the app.

Samsung has included Swype technology, an optional, on-screen keyboard that allows you to slide your fingers over the letters you want to type in a single motion. It's a nice feature considering the Galaxy Y's low price tag and makes plenty of sense given the small 3in screen. Good Food Guide 2012, a file manager, the QuickOffice suite, and a voice recorder are other apps that come standard on the Galaxy Y and all are welcome additions.

Performance is about what we would expect from a phone that costs $129. We experienced occasional lag when opening and closing apps, but the general user experience was smooth and snappy. The Galaxy Y doesn't have enough grunt to support Flash Web browsing, but pinch to zoom is present, meaning you can use gestures on the touch screen to zoom in and out of apps like Google Maps and the Web browser.

Battery life is about average for an Android phone: the Galaxy Y will last a full day with sporadic use, but will drain quickly if you use it constantly. Given its small, low resolution screen, we expected battery life to perform better than it did.

The Samsung Galaxy Y is Blue Tick rated by Telstra, promising to provide superior mobile network coverage in regional and rural areas of Australia.

The Samsung Galaxy Y is available now on Telstra's pre-paid Cap Encore offer. A $30 recharge gives you $250 worth of total credit for talk and text along with 400MB data to use within 30 days.